Features

The front cover photo of the official guide for the 2014 Michigan Ag Expo is a beautiful shot of a sugarbeet harvest. The photo was taken by Christine Crumbaugh, a central Michigan custom portrait and landscape photographer. Christine and her husband, Clay, are partners in Crumbaugh Legacy, a sugarbeet, corn, soybean and wheat farm located between Breckenridge and St. Louis, in Gratiot County.

As soon as I saw that Ag Expo cover, I contacted Christine to see if we might share some of her sugarbeet-focused photos with our readers. She graciously concurred, and I know our readers throughout North America will enjoy the (copyrighted) selections on these pages. (Credit for the photo of the Crumbaugh family goes to her friend, Miranda Parker.)

Those wishing to view more of Christine’s diverse photographic portfolio are invited to visit her website: www.capturedbychristinecrumbaugh.com— Don Lilleboe

Above Left: Defoliating beets during a muddy period in the 2013 central Michigan harvest season.

Above Center: Loading trucks at a sugarbeet clamp along a field edge.

Above Right: The Crumbaugh family includes, left to right, Logan, Clay, Christine and Kyle. Both Kyle and Logan will be studying agribusiness management at Michigan State University this fall — Kyle as a senior, Logan a freshman. Clay is chairman of the Michigan Sugar Company Seed Committee and also is a MSC West District board member.

Below: This is the beautiful harvest sunset scene that appeared on the cover of the official guide for the 2014 Michigan Ag Expo.